Jimmy Fears of Independence speaks with his defense attorney, Steve Krasik, at a hearing Thursday at Polk County Circuit Court in Dallas. Fears is charged with murder.

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A man found dead in a cemetery outside of Dallas this week was killed because his accused murderers believed he was a police informant, according to new details revealed Thursday in court documents.

The body of James Watson Hawkes IV, 29, was found wearing only boxer shorts at the Pedee Cemetery south of Dallas on Sunday night. At the time deputies with the Polk County Sheriff's Office labeled his death suspicious.

In a probable cause statement made public Thursday, the slaying apparently occurred more than two weeks before the discovery of the body, which showed clear signs of being beaten ...